Pat's Answer
To Pat / 01 Apr 2019
Topic: Bullying on social media
Your Question
I am having a problem with a girl from school. I posted a picture of my boyfriend (who used to be her boyfriend) and myself at a party last week on social media. She kept adding horrible comments about me and kept saying that I stole her boyfriend (which I didn’t).
Since then, she has got all her friends to keep sending me awful messages all the time and loads of my so-called friends have blocked me from their pages. She also posted up an awful picture of me that I hate! I don’t know what to do and it is making me so scared and sad.
From Pat / 01 Apr 2019
Answer
Hi there
It sounds like you are going through a very difficult time at the moment and it is very understandable that you feel scared and sad. A very important thing to remember is that this is not your fault. No one deserves to be bullied and no one has the right to bully another person.
You have the right to get help and to tell a trusted adult about what is going on for you. You can report any of the bullying comments or posts to the social network or gaming website. You can also report what is going on to the Gardai. A trusted adult might be able to help you with this.
You can block the person who is bullying you, or contact your mobile phone provider if you are being bullied by text / phone. You could also keep screenshots of any of the bullying posts or messages. Try to take note of the date and time of the message also.
No-one has the right to bully others. Everyone has the right to feel safe and protected, including when they are online. Don’t forget, you can always contact Childline for support. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I hope this has helped, thanks for writing to us.
Take care
Pat